


Two in the Bush

by Acernusaurus



Series: Jail Birds [2]
Category: Arrow (TV 2012), DC's Legends of Tomorrow (TV), DCU (Comics), The Flash (TV 2014)
Genre: Drugging (kind of), Gen, Imprisonment, Kidnapping, Mention of Refugees, Multiverse, Rescue Mission
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-02-17
Updated: 2017-03-11
Packaged: 2018-09-23 02:15:13
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 13
Words: 15,170
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9636374
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Acernusaurus/pseuds/Acernusaurus
Summary: When word of a missing Sara interrupts game day, Cisco has no choice but to include Black Siren in the rescue efforts.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Hello Friends,  
> This work is a sequel to [Bird in the Hand](http://archiveofourown.org/works/9511892/chapters/21513935) so it will make more sense if you've read that first. It is set after Flash season 2 but Flashpoint never happened. It also is complete but I have a few edits to finish, I will probably update every couple days.
> 
>  
> 
> I own nothing but the mistakes. ~~Especially since I hit post sooner than I meant to.~~

Cisco and Dinah were working on their third day of Risk. Dinah had been trying to destroy Cisco's last hold out in South America but, after three turns of bad rolls, she still couldn't defeat his infantry. He had managed to fend her off for one more round when Nyssa al Ghul strode into the Pipeline.

"Nyssa, please..." Caitlin said, coming in right behind her.

"My apologies Dr. Snow but the matter is most urgent." Nyssa stopped behind Cisco and settled into a resting stance, not looking at all phased by the Laurel Lance getting to her feet in the cell before her. Or the game board and cross-legged Cisco at her feet.

Glancing between Dinah's wary, cross-armed stance and Nyssa's calm parade rest, Cisco carefully slid the board to the side and got to his own feet. The women took a moment to size each other up.

"I almost did not believe it," Nyssa said eventually. "It is uncanny."

"Have you come for me assassin?" Dinah asked.

"She's not an assassin anymore," Cisco told Dinah, but glancing back to double check with Nyssa, he added "I think."

"I am not here as an assassin," Nyssa confirmed. "I am here for my beloved."

"We haven't seen her in weeks," Cisco said.

"No one has," Caitlin interjected. "We received a message from the Waverider this morning and Team Arrow got one too. She took the shuttle for a quick trip and Gideon lost contact."

"What are we talking about?" Dinah chimed in, clearly unhappy to be ignored even though Nyssa hadn't taken her eyes off the doppelganger.

Cisco's mind was already working but he half-turned to answer Dinah. "Nyssa's beloved is-"

"Sara Lance," Nyssa interrupted. Dinah quirked an eyebrow but said nothing.

"And Kendra too," Caitlin added. Then added quickly, "Is missing! Not Nyssa's beloved."

"Right," Cisco said, turning back to Nyssa. "If Gideon can't find them that is probably bad but you are right that I can help. Do you have something of hers?"

"I do not," she said, "but you do." She finally, pointedly, turned her eyes away from Dinah.

"What?" Cisco asked, hoping he was misunderstanding her.

"That won't work," Caitlin said, "Can that work?"

"Are you three telepathic?" Dinah interrupted once more.

"Nyssa thinks that you can help Cisco to vibe Sara's location," Caitlin explained.

Dinah looked incredulously at each of them. Settling on Cisco, who was pinching his mouth as he considered it. "It won't work. I'm not Laurel."

"I've vibed my Earth-2 brother before," Cisco admitted reluctantly. "If we do it right it probably will work."

"Do I get a say in this?" Dinah asked.

"No," Nyssa said at the same time as Cisco said "Of course." Caitlin looked worriedly between the two of them as they glared at each other.

Dinah sighed. "Let's not upset the assassin Vibe. Do what you need to do."

\---

It took them most of the day to figure out logistics. Nyssa did not appreciate the delay but Dinah assured her that she still planned to kill them all and make an escape if given the chance so they had to call Hartley and wait for Barry to get away from work.

Hartley, luckily, had been working on a pair of earbuds that would filter out damaging pitches while still allowing normal noises, like conversation, through. He was trying to make his sound dampening technology marketable since there was not much money being offered by Flash's secret prison. "And I wasn't expecting to test them so soon," he told them as he fitted the buds on Cisco's ears and activated them. "Can you hear me?" Hartley asked. Cisco nodded. Hartley then pulled out an air horn and put it up to Cisco's ear. Cisco flinched but didn't actually hear anything. He glared but Hartley only patted him on the shoulder and left, his work done.

Barry and Nyssa both demanded to be present but they got good old-fashioned (souped-up) noise-canceling headphones themselves. And Nyssa assured Dinah that the Siren didn't have to be alive to help. They were taking no chances. The food delivery hatch in the cell door would work as their contact point. Cisco took comfort in the fact that Dinah hadn't changed out of her Star Lab sweats for the whole process.

"How does this work, Vibe?" she asked.

"You give me your hand and we both concentrate on Sara." He leaned in close and spoke a little softer, even though the other two couldn't possibly hear him now that their headphones were on. "It has to be our Sara you think of. If you want to check on your Sara first - to help you focus - we can do that."

Dinah looked tempted but, "No, I'd rather not know. Whenever you are ready, Vibe."

"Alright then," Cisco put on his goggles, grabbed her hand, and said "Sara" one more time. The real world fell away. All his sensed flickered like an old TV warming up. Then they were moving around. His vibes usually jumped him where he was trying to go but it was as if they couldn't get a lock on her. He hated when the vibes were unstable and he knew it wasn't Dinah's fault. He could sense that they were aiming for the same person, there just seemed to be a barrier in the way that the vibe had to work around or through.

"This way," Dinah said. He felt her tug him, redirecting the vibe even though their bodies didn't actually move. She had taken control and found a way past. The vibe settled.

The two of them couldn't see much detail but the place was round. There was a small curtained alcove to the one side and ahead of them were two women sitting on the floor. Sara had her White Canary uniform on and had her hands over her face, leaning back against the round wall. Next to her was Kendra, though Cisco couldn't see her face. She was wearing a strange kind of hooded mask but the costume made it clear who it was.

"Sara," Dinah whispered. Sara groaned and leaned over to put her head on Kendra's shoulder, eyes closed tight, hands still over her face.

"They can hear us," Cisco whispered an unnecessary warning to Dinah. Louder he said, "Sara, Kendra!"

The vibe flickered them closer and Kendra turned to the sound of his voice. "Cisco?"

"I'm here, wherever here is. What happened to you two?"

"We were on our way back to the Waverider when our ship fell through a breach and we crashed. I don't know where but we set up an emergency beacon. Before help came something surprised us and knocked us out. And when we came to we were here and someone had put this thing on my head. Sara only just woke up.

"Is she okay?" Cisco asked.

"Hearing ghosts," Sara said petulantly. "Head hurts."

"She's complaining so she is probably fine," Kendra said. Sara smacked her gently. "Is the team coming for us?"

"As soon as we can," Cisco promised. The environment was flickering more often which meant the vibe was fading, but he willed it to bring him to the room's wall. As he came closer the wall came into focus. They were actually bars in a round cage, with a curtain of some sort behind them creating the appearance of solidity. He grabbed one of the bars to get a feel for this universe's frequency so he could open a portal later. "I'm losing the connection but we are coming."

"We'll be here," Kendra said.

"Tell Mick he owes me money," Sara mumbled.

The vision flickered a few more times and then disappeared. He was back standing in the Pipeline, facing Dinah who was wearing a hard look.

"Cisco?" Barry asked when he saw them unclasping their hands.

"I found them," Cisco said, then remembered that Barry couldn't hear him and gave a thumbs up instead.

"I'm coming too." Dinah said.

Cisco looked at her quizzically. But she just stared at him determinedly. "You'll have to convince Barry," he told her finally.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is what happens when you finish a work and think "what if a plot showed up?"


	2. Chapter 2

Barry took a lot of convincing. Cisco had closed up the cell and turned the sound filters back on, gesturing to the others to take off their headphones so Dinah could make her case.

"Absolutely not," Barry said for the third time.

"Why, because my face might upset people?"

"And you've promised to murder all of us painfully as soon as you get the chance." Barry said. Cisco nodded at that point and Dinah made a face at him, despite having been pretty adamant about that fact. Nyssa stood silently behind everyone, as usual.

"Please, you'll have your Beats by Star Labs," she waved vaguely at Cisco's ears. "And I'm not a match for the assassin. What if Vibe needs to vibe again? You _need_ me to go."

"The doppelganger does have a point," Nyssa said, making Cisco jump. "I can easily take care of her if it is required. And we would do well to bring every resource."

Barry looked exasperatedly between Nyssa and Cisco, who was clamping his lips together, trying to appear neutral on the matter. "Fine," he sighed. "But we are using every precaution, you hear?" He addressed the last bit to Dinah.

"I would expect nothing less. Can you all leave me alone now? I'd like to rest." Dinah turned away and began ignoring them before any of them took a step.

\---

They made their way back to the main lab. Cisco sent off a message to the Waverider and Star City that they had found the missing women and had a rescue plan. While Barry started another argument, this time with Caitlin.

"I am definitely going."

"Barry, you can't just leave Central City unprotected. We don't know how long this will take. And you're the only other person who has even a chance of intentionally crossing dimensions. You need to be here for back-up."

"Caitlin, I can't just leave Cisco and Nyssa alone with Black Siren. She's dangerous."

"They'll have me too."

"You're coming?" Cisco asked Caitlin. Not patronizingly but curious. Caitlin didn't often go for the field work if given the choice.

She brushed her hair back from her forehead. "I think I should. It sounds like Sara's hurt and you could use someone with medical experience."

Cisco couldn't argue with that but Barry kept trying to. Cisco let them fight it out and turned back to the notifications that his computer had just received: A message from Felicity that she was on the next train and a message from the Waverider that they were in the front parking lot. Cisco declared a time-out so they could greet their guests.

\---

After the Legends were brought into the lab Barry ran off to get Felicity so they wouldn't have to start over when she arrived. Everyone was still settling in when they were back. The group agreed to start from the beginning. "Kendra sent us a message requesting our assistance," Rip told them. "She had recovered a memory and required a visit to one of her past selves in order to understand it. Normally I would not approve such a mission but Kendra assured me that her present self was included in the memory so there would be no alteration of the timeline. At the same time there was a time aberration in Ancient Greece with a rogue Apollo that the Waverider had to deal with so -"

"Wait, what?" Felicity interrupted, raising her hand. "A rogue Apollo? Like the Greek god?"

"Rogue time travelers love to visit Ancient Greece and become gods," Rip explained quickly. "It doesn't help that the myths make it so easy for them, explaining away changes in look and temperament. Cleaning them out has been a routine Time Master chore since the Time Masters began. In fact, that is why Dr. Palmer is not present. He is still working on the problem."

Cisco raised his hand, "which Greek god is Ray playing?"

"I...don't see how that is pertinent but he is playing Hermes. Anyway, Kendra and Sara made their visit successfully and informed Gideon that they were on their way back but they never arrived home."

"They fell through a breach into another dimension," Cisco took over the story. "Kendra said they crashed and set up their emergency beacon but it probably doesn't work between Earths. After that they were attacked and now they are in a prison of some sort.

"Damn," Mick said. Cisco had a good guess for why Sara said he owed her money.

"How many universes are we at now?" Jax whispered to Felicity.

"Honestly I have lost count," she mumbled back.

"I can open a portal to get us there," Cisco continued. "So we need to figure out who is going and a plan of action. Caitlin and Nyssa have already volunteered."

"As much as I hate to abandon my people, I must remain here," Rip said. "I cannot leave the ship without both it's captain and first mate. Especially with Dr. Palmer still in the past."

"I'll go," Mick growled. "I love a good prison break."

Jax exchanged a look with Dr. Stein before saying, "We should probably stay, we can't take all of the Waverider's firepower. But I can probably prep one of the shuttles for dimension hopping."

"So that's five then," Cisco said. "Let's get started."

\---

The Waverider crew set off to get working on the shuttle (except for Mick who, Cisco found out later, went to take a nap). Nyssa went off to 'prepare'. And the Star Labs team pulled Felicity aside to talk.

"You didn't give me a chance back there but I'm coming too," Felicity said before any of them could say anything.

Barry grimaced, "Not you too, Felicity."

"That's actually what we wanted to talk to you about," Caitlin said. "We were kind of hoping you would stay here in Central City."

"Here?" Felicity was openly confused.

"Barry is going to be without his hero support while we're gone," Caitlin explained. "We figured since Oliver now has a bigger team, Star City could maybe spare you for a bit."

Felicity took a moment to process that. Then she did a double take. "Wait. If Barry is staying here, then who is your fifth person?"

The three of them exchanged panicked looks. Barry decided to take it. "Well--ahh--hm. You remember when I told you about doppelgangers? And about how mine was a bigger nerd than me? And Caitlin's and Cisco's were evil and they were part of Zoom's team? And Zoom was Jay so he knew us and our friends? And he was crossing Metas over to fight me? Well-"

"Stop. Right there," Felicity interrupted. "You are babbling worse than I do. Do I want to know who this mystery person is?"

"No. Probably not," Cisco said, chewing on a nail.

"And can I trust that you have had a _very_ good reason for keeping this a secret?"

"An excellent one," Barry assured her.

"Fine. Then I will call Curtis to pack up some equipment that you can go pick up Barry. And you can also get my emergency go-pack, don't ask, from my locker in the Arrow Cave. And you can explain to Oliver. It's about time for you to get a computer upgrade anyway."

"So you'll do it?" Caitlin asked.

"Yup, Overwatch can spend some time in Central City."

"Overwatch," Cisco mumbled, making a face at Felicity's back as she walked back into the main lab, probably to reset all his computers to her preferences.

"I heard that," she said over her shoulder.

Cisco made another face at her back and smiled, "I meant you to."


	3. Chapter 3

All in all it took them three days. The shuttle did not require major changes, though they did disable the time drive. Neither Rip nor Jax were sure if it would be affected by whatever existed between universes. For the few changes they did need, Barry was able to follow Jax's directions at super speed and still have time to help Hartley and Cisco perfect and duplicate the earbuds. Cisco and Dinah checked in on the trapped girls once more and let them know the team was at work. When the shuttle was ready Cisco and Barry took Mick to the Pipeline to meet their fifth crew member and give him his earbuds.

"Mick, this is-" 

"Sara's dead sister." Mick finished for Barry.

Dinah gave him an appraising look. "Not quite," she drawled. "It's an honor to meet you Mr. President."

Mick looked questioningly at Cisco. "She's from Earth-2. And she is kidding," Cisco said with a nervous chuckle. "I hope to god she is kidding." He couldn't see through her poker face to know for sure. He had lost many M&Ms to that poker face.

Mick grunted.

"Anyway," Barry said, "she is needed for the mission but we don't want anyone else to know she's here. Nyssa is going to bring her to the shuttle while we are saying our goodbyes. Once you guys leave you have to wear the earbuds at all times."

"Or I'll make your head explode," Dinah added helpfully.

Mick grunted again but took the earbuds from Barry's outstretched hand and left to get his gear.

"You have the cuffs?" Barry asked Cisco. Cisco pulled the simple looking metal bracelets out of his pocket. They weren't the usual power-dampening cuffs the team used for Metas as Dinah might need her powers. Instead they contained magnets that could be activated or disabled with the touch of a button and force the cuffs together. Dinah had agreed to wear them as one of Barry's conditions for letting her go. Cisco, Nyssa, and Caitlin all had an activation remote. "I'll take them and help Nyssa. You go back to the others," Barry said and Cisco did as he was told.

\---

Their exit didn't take as long as Cisco expected. Everybody wished them luck. Barry gave Caitlin and Cisco two hugs each, looking worried as he always did when he couldn't help. Felicity was the only one to notice Nyssa's absence but only asked Cisco to "tell her to be careful." She also slipped a small device into Cisco's hand.

"A pager?" he asked. "We're not going back to the 90s Felicity."

She smacked his shoulder gently. "It's for communication," she told him. "Curtis and I have been working on it since Supergirl's visit. Test it out for us?"

"Sure thing Kim Possible," he hugged her. "You take care of mah boy. Alright?"

"As long as you find my girl," she countered.

The group boarded the shuttle and strapped in next to Nyssa and Dinah. Cisco opened a portal before entering and gave Star Labs one last wave. Mick lifted them off and steered them through and then they were on their way.

\---

Their entrance was more jarring than any of Cisco's other portals. It felt almost like they bounced off before coming out into the other universe. The world they entered was very different than the clear aired parking lot they had left. The city they flew over was not only smoggy but beat up and scarred. The skyline in the distance, though grand, looked like it had pieces missing. The warehouses right below them were rundown, the kind that criminals liked to hide in.

"Where are we flying to hot shot?" Mick grumbled.

"I don't know," Cisco said, looking out the window in confusion. "Usually my vibes take me right where I'm trying to go." He wondered if they should go down and check the warehouses when a flashing red blur streak past them and came to hover in front of their ship.

Supergirl gestured for them to land. The LED-like lights in her cape making interesting patterns in the dim light and wind. Mick obediently set the ship down where she directed.

"Is this wise?" Nyssa asked as Mick opened up the hatch.

"She could have flicked us out of the sky if she wanted to," Caitlyn said. "We've met a version of her before."

Cisco met her in the doorway as Supergirl boarded and assumed her usual power pose. "Whatever planet you hail from, I suggest you go back if you have the fuel. Earth is not safe for alien refugees anymore." She looked tired. Cisco hadn't known that was possible.

He held up his hands in a placating gesture. "We're not aliens, Kara."

She squinted at him suspiciously. "You know me? Are you...dimensional refugees? You'll be no safer on this planet but it is easier to hide you. As long as no one in the Earth First Initiative saw you arrive."

"We're not refugees, Skirt." Mick rumbled. "We're just visiting."

"We've come to rescue some friends of our," Cisco said, gritting his teeth at Mick. "They fell through a breach."

Kara sighed, dropping her arms from their pose and looking even more tired. "I'm afraid that is all too common in Gotham these days. EFI has even written the city off, though it doesn't keep them from attacking it. Do you know where your friends came though?"

"Uh, no." Cisco said.

"Do you have a way to track them?" Supergirl asked.

"Sort of. Dinah?" he turned to her and jumped. Instead of still being in her seat where he expected, she was uncomfortably close behind him with her arms crossed and her eyes on Supergirl. Dinah smirked at his jump and offered him her hand.

He waited for his breathing to recover before taking it. The vibe came much easier now that they were in the right dimension but there was still that weird resistance. The women looked as if they hadn't moved far. Cisco did spot one difference, a rectangle on the wall that he hadn't noticed last time. The light shone on it oddly but he couldn't make out what it was through the vibe's haze. Dinah eyed it distastefully.

Looking at the girls, Cisco thought Sara looked like she was getting sicker. She was lying curled up with her head in Kendra's lap.

"Cisco?" Kendra asked, surprising him since he hadn't said anything and she still had the weird mask on.

"How did you know I was here?"

"I think my hearing has been compensating for my lack of eyesight. You make a fizzing noise when you arrive."

Cisco filed that away for later research. "Is Sara okay?" Sara hadn't moved.

"I don't know," Kendra was brushing Sara's hair with her fingers. "She has a headache that won't stop. I can barely get her to eat. I'm worried."

"We're close, Kendra. We're coming. I can sense which direction you are in."

"Be careful, Cisco. I think the people did this are cra-"

The connection snapped. Cisco felt a steel bar wrapped around his chest, lifting him bodily into the ship.

"-let Eefy catch you! You have to go now!" Kara said urgently as she set Cisco and Dinah down in their seats. He could see searchlights in the distance and hear small explosions coming closer.

"Which way?" Mick snarled.

Cisco took a second from fumbling with his straps to point in the right direction (while he did Kara finished the straps for him).

"The suburbs," Kara told them, following his gesture. "There is nothing out there, Eefy won't be following you. Take this." She shoved a small electronic device into Cisco's hand. "That transmits a pitch that only I can hear. I'll be able to find you with it once I stop this attack. Good luck." Kara gave them a quick, alien, salute and flew out the hatch toward the searchlights.

Mick managed to get them in the air and engage the cloaking system but they stayed low just in case as they headed towards the setting sun.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This was more-or-less plotted before the new seasons premiered so most of the similarities between this and developments on the show are coincidental.
> 
> I did take a couple things like Mick's nickname for Kara though because I had trouble thinking of one.


	4. Chapter 4

"How are they?" Caitlin asked, breaking the tense silence.

"Not good," Cisco said. He glanced at Dinah who still looked perturbed. Whether is was at being carried like a rag doll or something else Cisco couldn't tell. "Sara's head is bothering her."

"Is she injured?" Nyssa asked.

"Not visibly."

Both Caitlin and Nyssa frowned in the same way, probably thinking through possible causes of headaches. The matching looks would have been funny in any other situation.

As they arrived in the 'suburbs' that Kara had mentioned it became clear why they were abandoned. The still-standing grimy houses were scattered and the ground was pitted with craters. Whole, free-standing structures were few and far between.

"Are we close?" Caitlin asked, viewing the landscape out the side window. "Do you need to check again?"

"I'd say the huge building surrounded by barbed wire is probably a good guess." Mick growled, pointing straight ahead.

It looked like a school or a military compound (it was hard to tell the difference in many universes). "That's feels right. Put us down as close to the building as you can," Cisco said. Mick did not appreciate the order and glanced at him threateningly. "Please," Cisco added.

"You got it, boss," Mick rumbled, drawing out the last word.

\---

It was getting darker as they set down by a couple sad looking trees and a structure that might have once been a picnic table, right around the corner from what looked to be a main entrance.

"Don't forget anything," Caitlin told the group. "We don't know what we'll need." She slung her medical bag over her shoulder.

"I've got everything I need," Mick drawled, hefting his heat gun and his own bag. Cisco had seen him pack it, the bag contained nothing but snack crackers. Nyssa strapped a couple extra weapons to her person and Dinah examined her fingernails in feigned boredom.

"Ear buds secure?" Cisco asked everyone, tapping his own. Dinah looked over and rolled her eyes at him. "Off we go." He hefted his own weapon, an improvised taser-type gun that shot electricity a short distance, and left the ship.

After they all were out, the cloaking system activated and the ship disappeared from sight. Nyssa automatically took the lead. Dinah, Cisco, and Caitlin followed with Mick bringing up the rear. They rounded the corner and paused by the entrance doors. The doors were made of glass but too grimy to see anything except dim light through. Dinah started rubbing her ears as if they were ringing.

"It does not appear to be locked," Nyssa said, trying the first door.

"The probably don't expect many visitors," Mick snarled.

Nyssa stepped back and drew her bow, then gestured Cisco forward to open the door for her. She swept inside, scanning the room. Cisco didn't want to get in her way but he followed a few steps behind her to cover her back.

"It is clear," Nyssa said, quietly but clearly.

They were definitely in a school, probably a high school judging from the size of the building. There was a small office to their right that had empty binders scatter all around the beat up desk inside. The lobby they were in had two hallways, one on each side branching off. And a pile of rubble that might have once been doors directly to their left. Straight ahead appeared to be some sort of courtyard, but Cisco couldn't really get a good look because it was blocked by a large circular structure surrounded by a heavy curtain.

He exchanged a glance with Caitlin as she came in behind him. "It can't be this easy," she said.

They all regrouped for a second before moving forward as one. Someone stumbled in Cisco's peripheral vision and he moved to catch them automatically. He was shocked when he realized it was Dinah. The woman walked with such uncaring swagger that he almost couldn't fathom her faltering. She glared at him as if to tell him off but never actually said anything and she didn't shake him off. Instead she kept a strong grip on the arm he had used to catch her while rubbing at her ears again with her other hand.

Ahead of them Nyssa had put away her bow and drew her sword. Mick covered the structure with his gun and kept an eye down the left hallway while Caitlin watched the other one.

"Ready when you are," Mick grunted. Nyssa cut away the curtain.

Inside was a cage and a blonde woman, but not the one they were expecting. The woman sat on the floor with her back against the far side of the cage. She was older, maybe on the high end of middle-age, and looked tired but was watching them with interest. She had on a black leotard of some sort of shiny material and a leather jacket. Also she wore, of all things, fishnet stockings. The weirdest part was her face. Cisco didn't recognize her but she looked familiar. _Sara's eyes?_ he realized to himself. And other pieces too; angles of her face that reminded him of Laurel and even Felicity.

He took a step forward to get a better look. He still supported Dinah but she moved with him, seeming to be equally curious. Unfortunately after a few steps she seemed to run into an invisible something that knocked her to her knees. She wrapped her arms around her head protectively. Nyssa had her bow out in seconds and her and Mick were scanning the room, looking for a target. Caitlin rushed over to help as Cisco knelt next to Dinah in a panic. He tried to pry her arms away to see where she had been hit.

"You won't be able to do anything," the woman in the cage said roughly, her voice sounding as if it hadn't been used in a while. "Not if your friend is a Canary."


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Let me know if I missed any important tags. I have read these chapters too many times to be fully aware of them.

Four sets of eyes and two weapons turned toward the cage.

"What do you mean by that?" Cisco asked, trying to feign calm.

The woman tiredly raised her hands in response to the weapons but she seemed more entertained than upset by them being pointed at her. "She is a Canary." the woman confirmed. It was a statement not a question. "The Canary metagene gives us the ability to endure a wider range of sound frequencies than your average human can without harm. Unfortunately we are also extra sensitive to one specific frequency. One that is currently blasting nonstop through this compound."

"A noise is doing this?" Mick grouched.

"Us?" Caitlin asked.

"Us," the woman agreed with a tired smile. She lowered her arms heavily. "I don't just hang out in bird cages for my health."

Looking at it again the cell did have a very distinctive shape that Cisco was surprised he hadn't noticed on his own. It was almost identical to Sara's prison and even had a mirror on the side that he realized was the rectangle that had confused him in the other cell. There was also one of those silly trapeze swings hanging from the top, obviously only there for the aesthetic since it was out of the reach of your average human.

"Why are you not affected if what you say is the truth?" Nyssa asked, her bow still pointed at the woman.

"I am, and I won't be standing to greet you or anything. When you have been here as long as I have you can adjust to it enough to function. It's not meant to kill us, just keep us docile."

Cisco turned back to tugging on Dinah's arms. He managed to pull one away from her ear and he heard Dinah whimper in response. There was no blood or visible injury which reinforced that the woman, the Canary, might be telling the truth. While holding Dinah's arm away, Cisco took one of his earbuds out with his other hand and put it on Dinah's ear instead. Then he let her arm go and starting pulling at the other one.

"Cisco...," Caitlin started, but stopped at the look he gave her. She could see on his face that he knew full well what he was doing and the risk involved. He managed to get the other earbud in and sync them so they would start working. It took a moment but Dinah slowly began to relax and lower her arms. She didn't look up at any of them but she did find Cisco's hand and grasped it tightly.

Now that Cisco didn't have the earbuds on he thought he might be able to hear a hint of the sound. Or, at least, feel the vibration in the air. It didn't affect him like it did Dinah though. He wondered if anyone would be able to feel it or if it was just a symptom of his own metagene.

"That's a neat trick," the woman said, bringing their attention back to her. "I don't suppose you have more of those?" Cisco didn't think she meant it to sound as vulnerable as it did. Now that he knew to look for it, he could see the pain and exhaustion in her eyes. She may be acting cool as a cucumber but she was definitely suffering. Cisco made eye contact with Caitlin again, knowing the answer but wanting to mentally calculate it with her. Caitlin understood and imperceptibly shook her head, looking pained herself. They couldn't spare it. Couldn't risk it. Not for a stranger. Not when they had to find Sara.

"We didn't bring extra," Cisco said. "We didn't know. But we can get you out of there." He moved toward the cage and was surprised to hear her say "No."

"I'm obviously not who you came for," she told them. "I'll only slow you down, and you might not have much time. Find your bird. Get them out. If you feel the need you can come back for me. I won't say no then."

Cisco put a hand on the bars but unfortunately recognized the look on her face. He had faced it down plenty of times in the last four days alone. It was near impossible to argue with a Canary. And they couldn't keep delaying for a woman they had just met who didn't even want their help. She had said they might not have much time. "Do you know which way?" he asked instead.

"They always arrive from that way," Canary said, pointing a thumb to the left. "And are brought down the other hall. If I am the main attraction than everyone else should be past me."

"That's a big if, Tweety," Mick rumbled.

She looked over at him dryly. "Call it woman's intuition. But be careful," she addressed the whole group. "These people are mad."

"Are there many?" Nyssa asked from right behind Cisco. He was proud to be able to say he only jumped a little.

"They always hide their faces when they open the curtain and most of the system is automated. I've never seen more than one at a time but it's impossible to be sure. I wouldn't guess a large group. Still, stay alert kids."

Nyssa and Mick acknowledged the warning, Mick with a grunt Nyssa with a nod, then started toward the right hallway. Cisco lingered a moment longer.

"It was nice to meet you," Canary said gently prodding.

"We'll be back soon Canary." Cisco finally turned and, with Caitlin, helped Dinah to stand and made sure she was steady on her feet. They followed the others.

\---

Mick lead the way this time. They passed another trashed office and a mural with some indistinguishable school mascot still visible in chipped and faded blue paint. A closed door was ahead on their left; probably a classroom. The group paused before it and Mick peaked through the tiny window.

"It's dark," he grunted. "Holds a cage. Person lying down inside."

"No curtain?" Cisco asked. "Sara and Kendra's cage has a curtain."

"Not them," Mick growled and continued down the hall.

They passed another classroom (also with a cage but without a curtain) and a bathroom on the other side before following a slight curve into a crossroads.

"This is going to take forever," Dinah complained. She had slowly been recovering from the sound attack and her swagger had returned during the slow walk down the hall. (Thankfully she hadn't taken the opportunity to make Cisco's head explode.) Now she stepped forward and grabbed Cisco's hand, somehow launching him into a vibe.

"That way," Cisco pointed down the right hallway. Dinah strode off, dragging Cisco along behind her, still vibing, and forcing the others to rush to catch up. They took a left and another left and passed three more dark classrooms before dead-ending at a cafeteria entrance. "In there," Cisco whispered.


	6. Chapter 6

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Another update today because I have some free time and the last chapter was short.

They all peaked in through the door's windows. The room was lit but with dim emergency lights like the halls and lobby. Inside were four curtained cages.

"Who could do this?" Caitlin asked no one in particular.

"Stay alert kids," Dinah echoed Canary's words and dropped Cisco's hand to open the door. Nyssa and Mick moved past her and split to the sides to check the room. When they gave the okay everyone else entered too.

"Kendra?" Cisco called out.

"Cisco?" came the response from the nearest curtain on the left. Nyssa was there instantly and cutting the curtain away.

Kendra and Sara were in the same position he had seen them last. Understandably, since Sara was probably in no shape to move and Kendra couldn't go far with her blindfold. _Hawk's hood._ Cisco realized with a jolt. It was a whole twisted bird theme.

"Mick," Caitlin said gesturing to the other side of the cage as she and Cisco moved toward the girls. Nyssa was already by Sara's side.

"On it," Mick grunted. He moved to the side she had pointed to and put on his welding goggles. Then he switched his heat gun to the new setting Cisco had added for him. The flame came out as a controlled blow torch and Mick got to work cutting the bars on the far side of the cage.

While Cisco helped get Kendra out of the hood, Caitlin gently moved Nyssa, who had crouched by Sara's side, out of the way to better check on the blonde. Whatever she found in her quick examination obviously worried her because she did not hesitate in removing her own earbuds and passed them in to Kendra.

"Put those in her ears and hit the blue button," Caitlin told her, shivering as if she felt a chill.

"Can you hear it?" Cisco asked, curious.

"I don't think so but I feel...something."

"It's a lot stronger in here I think." Cisco told her. "Maybe to keep them from talking to the other cages."

"What are you talking about?" Kendra asked after syncing the buds. "Is Sara going to be okay?"

"Sara is being bombarded by a sound that only affects people with a specific metagene," Caitlin explained. "The ear buds will filter it for her and hopefully she should start to recover."

Kendra was blinking a lot, getting used to having her vision back. She looked around the room, taking in the other curtains and their group. "Who's that?" she asked, referring to the figure still standing by the door. Her vision must have still been fuzzy since Laurel's face was recognizable even in the dim lighting.

"A friend," Cisco said simply. "Are you okay? Have they done anything?"

"They don't even bring the food themselves; I could hear the automated delivery system. Though I have heard someone come in and just stand in the room. I think they were watching us."

"Yeah, it's really creepy," came Sara's groggy croak.

"How are you feeling," Caitlin asked quickly.

"Like I tried to out-drink Kara." Sara was peaking through her eyelids as if the light was too strong. "Any idea what we are dealing with?"

"Short version?" Cisco said, "Some bird-brained lunatic is abducting Canaries from other dimensions and locking them up in cages here."

"That explains the decor," Kendra said, looking up at the trapeze swing.

"Timber!" Mick roared and shoved the last of the bars in. It clanged loudly on the floor. Cisco didn't see Nyssa move but, honestly, he hardly ever did. She was in the cage in seconds and pulling Sara to her feet and into a tight hug. Cisco offered a hand through the bars to help Kendra stand.

After Nyssa led a shaky Sara over to the cage hole, Mick reached in to help carefully lift her out. 'Careful' was never a word that Cisco thought he would use to describe Mick Rory. He almost didn't want to look directly at them in case he was imagining the whole thing but he didn't have to worry about being the one to break the spell.

"Polly want a cracker?" Mick drawled after Sara was out and standing on her own feet. He offered her one of his packs of snack crackers.

"Polly wants her 50 buck," Sara replied, punching him weakly on the arm and taking the snack crackers anyway.

"Not a prison. Doesn't count." Mick grumbled.

"I was _imprisoned_. Pay up."

Mick rolled his eyes theatrically but held out the bill for her to take. She swayed as she grabbed for it and the surprises continued as Mick instantly moved to support her until Nyssa could get back to her side and let Sara lean on her.

As Mick turned to help Kendra out as well, Cisco glanced over to check on Dinah. She was pointedly watching the hallway through the cafeteria door's windows. When he turned back he saw that Sara's eyes had found Dinah as well. The profile didn't seem to register at first but then a host of emotions crossed Sara's face.

"So...this is a prison full of Canaries?" Sara asked, clearly trying to sound nonchalant. Dinah finally looked around at that, making it clear to Cisco that she had been listening closely all along. After looking at each of the others she made eye contact with Cisco and quirked an eyebrow at him. She was giving him the out. She would let him play it off if he wanted to.

He sighed. "Actually Sara, she came with us. This is Black Siren. From Earth-2."

"Earth-2? ...Like Zoom?" Cisco could see her processing that and doing the math. He could see her anger erasing her exhaustion. He took a step back and considered running to hide behind Dinah. Sara was still weak, he might make it.

"Calm down, little sister," Dinah said, clearly amused at the turn this had taken.

"You're not my sister," Sara said with a stillness that scared Cisco even more.

"No? These-" Dinah tapped the ear buds she was wearing, "-say otherwise Canary. We're birds of a feather."

"Speaking of birds," Mick interrupted, "isn't it time we flew the coop?"

"We can't leave yet," Caitlin interjected. "We have to save the other Canaries."

"This place is huge," Mick growled. "Are we supposed to carry all of them out of here on our backs."

"Mick," Sara said quietly, taking a quick break from glaring at a smirking Dinah to turn to him, "they are in cages."

He looked at her for a long time, then grunted his agreement.

"We still do not know how," Nyssa said. She didn't seem to be the only thing keeping Sara upright anymore but she obviously wasn't going to be letting go of the blonde any time soon.

Cisco examined the other cages. "If we can find the control room, we can probably shut down the sonic sedative. There might also be cage controls there. They have to have actual doors."

"It's probably down the other hallway by the first Canary," Caitlin hypothesized. "They would want to check that the system is working before visiting their victims."

"What about weapons," Kendra asked.

Nyssa swung a bandolier of throwing knives off of her shoulder and draped it over Sara's. Then grabbed two of the knives and passed them to Kendra, who spun them around in her hands to get a feel for them. While she did that Sara reached down slowly to grab one of the discarded cage bars and gave it a few practice spins. Sara still looked weak but, weapon in hand, she finally looked steady. "Let's go free some birds," she said.


	7. Chapter 7

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I updated twice yesterday because I am an inconsistent rascal so if you missed one make sure you check the last two chapters out.

The walk back to the main lobby was much quicker. And Canary hadn't moved since they left. After seeing the state Sara had been in, Cisco was impressed that Canary had the strength to sit upright and talk to them at all.

"You found her," Canary said happily, zeroing in on Sara before looking over their whole group. "And Shiera too. That one is a surprise."

"Have we met?" Kendra asked, eyeing the woman uncertainly.

"Probably not in any of your lifetimes but you never know. Either way it's nice to see a familiar face." Speaking of familiar faces, Cisco didn't know if either of them realized it but Dinah and Sara had taken a step closer to each other after getting a good look at the Canary. With all of them in the same room, the resemblance was impossible to miss and probably unnerving for each of them. Canary addressed the whole group, "Now, when you kids get away, send word to my Earth. If you can get a message to the League they can send a team for a full rescue mission."

"We're not leaving you behind," Sara said. She stepped forward and crossed her arms. "This is the rescue mission, we are shutting this place down."

"Maybe we should do what the old bird says," Dinah butted in. Sara and Cisco both turned to glare at her and she rolled her eyes and held her hands up. "Fine. Rescue mission. Got it."

Sara turned her glare back on Canary who was glaring back. Piercing blue eyes met piercing blue eyes and the two seemed to argue nonverbally. Finally, Canary sighed and turned away. "If this is what it is like to argue with me than I think I owe some heroes an apology," she mumbled. "One Canary getting out would be a win in my book but if I can't stop you than all I can say is don't underestimate this place. This birdnapper has more than noise in their arsenal."

"We can get you out first," Cisco said, gesturing Mick toward the cage.

"I'm still no good to you while the signal is on. Shut it off first."

"You heard the woman," Sara said. She nodded curtly to Canary and led the group off toward the other hallway, Nyssa still right beside her. Cisco lingered again, hating that they had to leave the Canary behind a second time. A hand on his shoulder gave him a gentle tug and he turned, expecting Caitlin but finding Dinah instead. She didn't say anything, just gave him another gentle tug. He sighed and went with her, catching up with Caitlin who was also waiting. They followed the group down the hall.

\---

This hallway didn't have any classrooms or cells, though it did have one branching hallway halfway down that led off towards the same direction as the cafeteria. The group deliberated going down it but decided that the direct route seemed most likely if the villain really would visit Canary first. They were proven right when the hallway ended at another lobby with a wall of glass doors to the left and some electrical equipment spilling out of the room straight ahead.

"The gym?" Cisco asked no one. "Why doesn't it surprise me that they set up base in the gym?"

"Sore subject for you Cisco?" Dinah asked. Cisco side-eyed her as fiercely as he could for the number of puns in that question. Sara glared at her too but Cisco thought it might have been because Dinah beat her to the punch.

"Maybe he is just a poor sport," Mick drawled.

"Can we focus on the task at hand?" Cisco asked, exasperated. "We need to find the sound system."

"Why don't we heat things up?" Mick asked. He swung his gun to his shoulder to emphasize his point.

Cisco genuinely considered it. "It would take too long," he concluded sadly. And we have to be sure we destroyed the right thing."

"And we don't know if the sprinklers work," Caitlin added pointing up. "It could spread to the rest of the building."

"I promise you can burn the place down after everybody is out, Mick," Kendra said. Mick grunted agreement to that. 

"Get to it then," Sara said. "Mick can still smash stuff. And this might help." She handed Caitlin one of her knives. "We'll stand guard out here." She turned to face the doors, where the sky outside was starting to turn gray with dawn.

"Close enough," Mick rumbled. He holstered his gun and headed into the gym. Caitlin and Cisco followed.

Every inch of the gym was full of equipment, some of it stacked higher than Caitlin's head. There were computers and electronics everywhere, including a bank of monitors to the right of the door that looked to be security camera feeds for the building. A small section held medical devices and first aid kits. There were a number of nondescript crates. And on the far left, by a rock climbing wall, there were a collection of wheeled robots that must be the automated delivery system.

"Nerd heaven in bird hell," Dinah said from right behind Cisco, making him jump. He was getting really tired of being snuck up on.

"You aren't keeping watch?" Cisco asked.

"And miss all the destruction? You know that's my favorite part. It even tops aggravating my sister." She sauntered into the gym after the other two, who had already begun. Mick was happily smashing and throwing things while Caitlin was meticulously using her borrowed knife to pry computers open, removing parts and cutting non-electrical wires with uncharacteristic vehemence. Dinah joined in with the smashing and the occasional focused Siren Cry. It was loud to Cisco's unprotected ears but since it wasn't focused at him he'd survive.

Cisco headed to the right, leaving the security monitors alone for the moment and unplugging cords whenever he came to an outlet. When he reached a corner on the opposite side of the gym he found a small alcove containing half of what could have been a water fountain. Above it was a handwritten list of numbers on the wall. It was a wide-ranging and random list with no discernable pattern but each number was followed by the same odd squiggle. Four or five were crossed out and some were also followed by Roman numerals starting at II and going as high as IX in one place. Cisco couldn't begin to guess what it all meant but he took a picture with his phone just in case it was important.

Cisco began to double back toward the monitor desk to check for more clues when a small explosion rattled the room, followed by a cheer. He couldn't see them anymore but it sounded like Mick and Dinah had decided to work together. And, from what Cisco could hear, they were getting along like a house on fire. Cisco only had a moment to worry about that when he was distracted by a feedback screech coming from his pocket, followed by voices.

"-op changing the channel Bar-" There was a pause. "-just a prototype. It might-"

"Guys, I think you hit some kind of signal jammer," Cisco called across the room as he pulled Felicity's pager out of his pocket. He grinned when there was another cheer and the distinctive sound of a high five. He hit the button labeled 'talk', "Barry? Felicity? What's the sitch?"

"Oh thank God, Cisco," Felicity responded. "Barry's not here anymore. I told him to run from Seattle to Miami to cool off. He has been _literally _running up the walls all night; we tried to call you and you didn't answer. Who knew he was such a worrywart?"__

"Literally everyone," Cisco replied. "Sorry we scared him. It looks like there was a jammer nearby."

"Innnteresting. I will get Curtis to look into fixing that. Have you found our ladybirds? Which, I know are actually ladybugs and not birds."

"...Mostly," Cisco told her.

"Cisco..." Felicity said threateningly. She did not appreciate his vague answer.

"They are with us and they are alright but trust me, you will want the full story." He reached the table full of monitors and began sifting through the stuff on it. There wasn't much, a few papers, a small device of some sort. Nothing the revealed anything important. "We'll be home as soon as we can but there are some things we have to take care of here first." He glanced up at the monitors and caught movement in one of them. A closer look at the grainy picture had him almost tripping over the desk chair while he turned around. "I'm going to have to call you back Felicity." He moved toward the doors.

"Wait! Barry just got back." Cisco could hear Barry saying his name in that squeaky worried voice of his but Cisco hit a button on the pager and shoved it back in his pocket.

"Mick! Dinah!" he shouted, "We've got trouble!"


	8. Chapter 8

Cisco was closest and reached the door first. He could hear what must be Mick crashing towards him and Caitlin calling out questions but he didn't have time to wait for them or explain.

Out in the lobby and across the room Kendra and Nyssa were locked in battle with a masked and hooded figure wielding a pair of batons. Under normal circumstances Cisco would always bet on either of the women but Kendra had been blind for a few days and their opponent seemed to be just as well trained as Nyssa.

Halfway across the room Sara crouched, curled in on herself with her arms around her head, mirroring Dinah's pose from when they arrived. It looks like her ear buds had fallen out or been damaged and the gang in the gym hadn't found the transmitter yet. Since he would be no good in the fight across the room and never would get close enough to use his taser gun without the risk of hitting the others, Cisco went to Sara's side instead.

He was helping her cover her ears, looking around for the missing ear buds, and considering vibing Sara to safety when Mick ran past and joined the battle. Mick's weapon was also useless in close quarters but Mick always was a fan of the direct approach. "Hey Birdbrain!" he roared and threw a punch as soon as he was close enough. He landed his first hit squarely on the side of the person's head but they caught his second swing and used Mick's momentum to throw him into Kendra, knocking them both to the ground. Hard.

"Cisco," he heard behind him. Cisco turned to see Dinah's hand in his face. On it were his ear buds. Behind them her knees were shaking but the hand remained steady. He looked up to meet her gaze and her expression was tense but it insisted.

"Dinah, -" he started.

"I'm a screamer, remember Cisco," she told him with a hint of a wink. "She needs them. Take them."

He grabbed the buds with one hand and her hand with the other, moving the latter to lean on his shoulder as she wobbled. Then he put the buds on Sara and synced them as fast as he could.

Sara took a deep breath and blinked a few times before looking around and grabbing her bar-staff. She struggled to her feet, using Cisco's free shoulder as a crutch as well. "Still not my sister," she grumbled over his head to the other woman.

"Go punch the Birdbrain, brat," Dinah replied.

Sara pushed off Cisco and moved toward the fight with a deliberate, forced steadiness. Nyssa was being attacked viciously and losing ground as she was forced to parry repeatedly. The others were still tangled together and trying to get to their feet; one of Kendra's wings was bent at a bad angle.

"Are we really calling them Birdbrain?" Cisco asked, frowning.

Dinah sank to a knee and covered her ears, still leaning on him. "You came up with it." Cisco frowned harder but momentarily turned his attention away from the fight. He couldn't do anything for Dinah or Sara if they lost the other pair of buds. Cisco looked back toward the gym doors and saw Caitlin, knife in hand and looking conflicted.

"Caitlin," he called out to get her attention. He had to maneuver around the Siren on his side but he managed to work his weapon free and slide it across the floor to Caitlin. "Fry everything in there." She nodded and jumped into action: grabbing the gun and running back into the gym.

Cisco turned back in time to see Birdbrain get a luck blow past Nyssa's sword and knock her into a corner wall by the hallway. She hit hard and fell, clearly dazed. Birdbrain went in for another strike but Sara blocked it just in time and forced them to back off. Cisco expected Birdbrain to go after Sara with the same vehemence but instead they seemed to still be trying to reach Nyssa. Sara had to keep moving in front of the downed assassin to stay in the fight.

Finally Mick got back into the fray and Birdbrain was successfully redirected. Mick was no match for their skill but Birdbrain's reluctance to attack Sara worked against them. They had to spend too much time parrying her attacks and couldn't get a good hit on Mick. And then Kendra added herself back into the mix. Even with a broken wing she was able to turn the tide and they were able to shift Birdbrain across the room.

The Legends fell into the groove of a well oiled machine and Birdbrain was moving slower, clearly tiring. Sara swung her staff at their head. Birdbrain's dodge moved them right into Mick's kidney punch, which knocked them over Kendra's good wing as it swept their legs. Sara had jumped over the wing swipe automatically and now moved in for a kick. Birdbrain tried to roll with it but the kick still connected solidly in their gut. Birdbrain curled in pain but then kept rolling and came up into a crouch.

"You'll regret this!" Birdbrain coughed, their voice muffled and distorted by their mask. "You were safe and now you're all going to die!" Before anyone could reply, a crash and rain of stone came from the ceiling between Cisco and the gym, followed closely by Supergirl.

"Blondie sure knows how to make an entrance," Dinah muttered, ducking her head against the nearby rain of dust. "But she scared the bastard away." Cisco turned back again and saw that Dinah was right. While pushing the fight away from Nyssa, the gang had backed Birdbrain toward the lobby doors. The distraction of Supergirl had given the villian time to get out and escape. There was no sign of them.

"I'm sorry I couldn't find you!" Supergirl knelt at Cisco's side and said in a rush. "When I finally got rid of Eefy I couldn't hear the transmitter anymore and all I could do was try to follow where you had pointed. Even when the transmitter started up again it was almost drowned out by that ridiculous noise. What is going on here? Are you all alright?" She looked around at the group.

Sara moved over to Nyssa and seemed to be checking her injuries over. Mick was helping Kendra straighten her wing while Kendra grimaced in pain. Supergirl's eyes finished on the gym and she squinted. "What is your friend doing in there?" she asked.

"She is trying to shut down the noise," Cisco told her. His arm was falling asleep and he tried to shift Dinah a bit to get some feeling back. "It's hur -"

Supergirl was gone in a manner he was only used to from Barry. From the gym came an unrealistic electrical sound, like the ones you hear in movies, followed by a loud pop. A shiver went up his spine as his skin stopped prickling and he felt Dinah tense. Then Supergirl was back with a surprised Caitlin in her arms, mid "oh" of surprise.

Dinah tentatively took her hands away from her ears and let her muscles relax. Sara too, even with the ear buds in, seemed to be loosening up.

"Okay," Kara said, setting Caitlin down, "what is going on here?"

"It's probably easier to show you," Cisco said as he helped Dinah to her feet. "Mick, feel free to set any strangers on fire."

"Finally," Mick drawled. He let Caitlin take over with Kendra and took out his heat gun, striding over to pace in front of the doors.

Cisco and Dinah led Supergirl up the hallway. Dinah still leaned on him at first but she got her strength back much quicker this time. She kept her arm linked through his though, as if they were going on a stroll through the park and not a prison.

Canary had finally stood and moved from the back bars to lean heavily on the side nearest their hallway. Though the curve of the hallway meant she couldn't see very far. "You found another Superfriend!" she called out happily when they came into sight. "She wasn't a prisoner too was she?"

"Black Canary?" Kara looked confusedly between Canary, her birdcage, and Cisco.

"The one and only," Canary said. "If you don't count all the others."

"But you're dead," Kara said, her forehead crinkled in confusion. Canary shrugged in a 'what can you do' gesture, unfazed by this news.

"Turns out," Cisco explained, "someone has been swiping Canaries from alternate universes and trapping them here. There are cages all over the building."

"All over...?" Cisco had never realized that he hadn't ever seen Kara angry and privately swore he never wanted to see it again. Her eyes lit up with her heat vision before she even turned away from him and she cut the bars around Canary to scrap metal and slag. A Canary shaped piece in front of the woman was all that remained standing. "Take her back to the others," Kara ordered. "I'll bring the rest." And then she was gone.

Cisco was frozen in momentary shock but Dinah stepped forward. "Come on old bird." She helped Canary around the final bars and past the still smoldering border of the cage. Cisco came back to himself and moved to help. Supporting Canary between them, they headed back the way they had come. The three had only made it halfway down the hallway when Kara strode past them with another woman in her arms. She quickly outpaced them down the hall and was back again moments later, empty handed.

"Why'd I get the slow train," Canary complained.

"I'm sorry, I'm not an alien Sun Goddess," Cisco huffed.

"He wasn't very good at gym class," Dinah stage whispered.

"Evidently," Canary said.

"Oh god, you are all like this aren't you?" Cisco realized as the two women smiled innocently. There was probably an infinite amount of sass present in this building and he had just freed all of it.

Thankfully they reached the lobby just before Supergirl could lap them again with another prisoner. Caitlin was checking the first one, a younger version of the Canary leaning on Cisco's shoulder. Mick was still keeping watch. Kendra's wing was wrapped in torn cloth. She was standing at Caitlin's side and helping.

"Where are Nyssa and Sara?" Cisco asked. He and Dinah helped Canary sit down on a piece of rubble left from Supergirl's entrance.

"They went to bring the ship around to these doors," Kendra said. "For supplies." Kendra helped Supergirl, who had just arrived once more, get the next Canary comfortable.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Fun Fact: The dialogue in this chapter still makes me chuckle even though I wrote it months ago.


	9. Chapter 9

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Fun Thing I Learned Since The Last Update: Cisco's taser gun, which I had almost taken out because of scientific improbability, has a [real life counterpart](https://youtu.be/_fTC_Ud_k3U?t=5m30s).

When Supergirl confirmed that she had brought the last one they had more than 40 Canaries crowded into the lobby. Thankfully none of them were injured or sick besides the headaches. Birdbrain may have been a monster but they had taken care of their captives. They all seemed to have similar stories to Sara and Kendra: They had fallen through a breach and been ambushed and brought here. And all were in uniform so they had likely been on the job when it happened.

The fact that intrigued and delighted Cisco was the diversity of the group. There were some Laurel and Sara doppelgangers but not as many as Cisco would have expected. Then there were a collection of blonde and brunette variations that included Canary, but still not many sets of the same face. And the rest of the group ranged across all skin colors and body-types. The group wasn't limited to women either but they all had to share the Canary metagene or they wouldn't have been affected. Cisco was fascinated by the implications about the multiverse and metahuman biology.

\---

Cisco and Supergirl went to sift through the wreckage in the gym to see if they could find food for everyone. While they did, Cisco told Kara the little that he could about the Birdbrain. He could tell that Kara was still upset about this going on under her watch due to the number of times she assured Cisco that the villain wouldn't get away with this.

"They won't be able to do this again," Kara said again. "This is _my_ world." She ripped a crate straight up from underneath a pile of rubble and opened it to check its contents. The boxes were tough enough that they weren't even dented and Kara said they were made of a material that blocked her X-Ray vision like lead does. Looking the old fashioned way meant it took them some time to find a few crates of ready-made meals that Supergirl was familiar with and stack them by the door (Supergirl stacked them, Cisco kept searching). Before they brought the food out though, Cisco pulled her over to the alcove across the room to see if she could make any sense of the numbers.

"This symbol here," she said, pointing to top number and the squiggle after it, "is how we label alternate Earths. And this number is our Earth's designation. It seems to be a list of universes but it can't be a list of the prisoners. I have no idea what it might be for." She gave him an apologetic look and went to take the first crate out of the gym.

Cisco lingered by the alcove, looking at the top number and forming a hypothesis. He followed the list down about halfway to find one of the crossed out numbers; the only such one followed by a II. He reached out and almost touched it, vibed it, but pulled his hand back before he did. If he was right he knew what he would see. And he didn't want to live that.

Cisco went back to help Supergirl with the crates.

\---

After they had passed out the ready made meals, which Supergirl assured Cisco were passably healthy, they all settled down to take a much needed rest. Cisco sat on one of the empty crates with his own food and watched the assorted canaries. Caitlin soon joined him after she finished checking the bandaged arm of a young hispanic canary in a blue uniform.

"Is she okay?" Cisco asked. He passed Caitlin a meal pack as she sat down next to him.

"Yes. It's almost healed. She told me she its from before and she had just returned to superheroing before getting stuck here." Caitlin made a face as she took a bite of the meal but kept eating. It had been too long a day for any of them to be picky. The two sat in comfortable silence picking at the food, and then at the snack crackers Cisco had swiped from Mick's bag.

"It's bulletproof you know," Caitlin commented.

"Hmm?" Cisco asked distractedly.

"The hijab you're staring at with your twitchy engineer fingers." Caitlin said. "It's bulletproof. And the mask is sewn into it so it can be hidden and won't get lost."

"My fingers weren't twitching," Cisco said defensively. He put his hands in his pockets.

"Did you see that one?" Caitlin pointed over to one of the nine (awesome) Yellow Canaries. "The extra fabric under her arms is a glider built into her suit. And him? The one with the great hair?" She pointed to a young, dark-haired man in a sleek black outfit. He was currently engaged in a serious-looking conversation with Nyssa. "His suit was a gift from his Earth's Kryptonians. They worked with a human scientist to recreate Kryptonian textiles and everyone on their team has one."

"We should see if our favorite Kryptonian can help us with that," Cisco said. His eyes wandered around the rest of the group, noticing style and utility choices and mentally recording his favorites for future projects. "Do you know what they are talking about?" he asked Caitlin, gesturing over to Dinah and the small group that she had surrounded herself with. They seemed to be having an enthusiastic conversation in ASL.

"My vocabulary isn't that great and their dialects are odd but I think they're trading fashion tips." Cisco quirked an eyebrow at that. "That's just what Canary style needs." Caitlin chuckled and bumped her shoulder into his. Then she got up to make another lap around the lobby to check how everyone was recovering. Eventually he got up as well to go chat with the hijab-wearing Canary about her bulletproof cloth. No reason he couldn't get some fashion tips himself.

\---

Some time later a loud wolf whistle got everyone's attention. Sara was coming down the hallway with Mick and carrying a heavy looking military style bag between them. Behind them was Supergirl carrying two boxes, much larger than the food crates. 

"We found the armory, peeps!" Sara called out. She and Mick set down the bag and everyone got up to come over, crowding around Sara in a large circle. Sara opened the bag and started waving weapons in the air while some Canaries went around her to sift through the boxes Supergirl had set down.

Like the group itself there were a lot of the expected items: bo staffs, batons, and other basic bludgeoning weapons. But also like the group there were plenty of surprises. There were some strange looking guns and bird shaped throwing stars. The most interesting item though belonged to the Canary who simply retrieved an old-timey lantern and stuck her hand into it. Instantly her costume changed from black to a glowing green. If that wasn't weird enough, not many of the other canaries were noticeably fazed by it, as if they saw things like that all the time.

\---

Since everyone was now armed, fed, and rested it was clear that it was time to find a way to send them home. Cisco didn't know how many portals he could open in one day, especially a day as long as this one. He announced to the group that it could take some time and they might be stuck here for a bit.

A White Canary raised her hand. "My world has portal technology," she announced to the group. "Interdimensional tourism is big there. With a simple scan we could get everyone to where they belong. And my League can house you all comfortably in the meantime." Cisco still didn't know what was up with the Leagues that kept being mentioned but he was grateful for the offer. He didn't want to make Canaries stay in this Cray-viary any longer than necessary. The Canaries seemed to agree since the vote to go was unanimous.

After everyone was out of the building and Supergirl assured them that it was empty, Sara put a friendly hand on Mick's shoulder and gestured with a dramatic bow toward the doors. Mick grinned maniacally and, with his own brand of theatricality, lit the building up with his heat gun to cheers and applause from the crowd. They watched the flames until Dinah decided that that wasn't enough. She swaggered to the front of the group and unleashed her Siren Cry, blowing out the flames. When the other Canaries saw the building begin to crack and crumble, the ones with meta-abilities stepped forward to join her, matching her pitch and disintegrating the one-time school into rubble.

When the screaming Canaries decided they were done, Cisco offered the White Canary a hand so they could open the portal. They all stood and waited a moment. White Canary assured them that her team would immediately send someone to investigate the unauthorized breach. And that it would be better to let them check it out before entering to prevent any misunderstandings. Sure enough, they soon heard the familiar whoosh of a speedster and saw the faint hint of a blur that only Supergirl's eyes could follow. White Canary was swept away from Cisco's side in a hug tornado.

When they finally slowed to a stop White Canary quickly explained the situation to the speedster. The speedster's suit looked very Flash-like but was mostly white instead of red. And it had no hood, just a mask. He didn't look like Barry Allen either but didn't bother giving his name when he shook Cisco's hand. He _did_ promise that his world would help. Supergirl moved forward to meet the speedster as well. As she grasped his hand she stared the speedster down so fiercely that Cisco thought she was x-raying his brain to read his thoughts. The speedster started to squirm under her gaze but they all decided that they could trust him.

"Though, if this world could spare me I would take them all myself," Kara told Cisco under her breath when the speedster went back through the portal to make preparations. 

The Green Canary could fly and create solid green constructions (Cisco wished he had more time to talk to her about that) so she would be carrying all the Canaries over in small groups. Goodbyes were made, handshakes and hugs. Dinah and Mick stayed apart from the group and only said goodbye to the Canaries that insisted, including Dinah's ASL-speaking friends. Nyssa was also slightly apart but she still shook plenty of hands. Until the boy she had been talking to earlier went over to her, the one with the Kryptonian suit and great hair. He offered her a shy handshake but instead Nyssa pulled him into a hug, surprising everyone. Even Sara, standing next to Nyssa, looked confused. She looked even more so when Nyssa finally let the boy go and he shifted his hug to Sara without even looking up. Sara returned the hug automatically but quirked an eyebrow at Nyssa over the boy's shoulder. Cisco couldn't see Nyssa's face but she must have communicated something to Sara because the woman hugged the boy tighter.

\---

Soon most of the Canaries had gone through the portal in a small clear-green flying saucer and they were down to the last group.

"You know my team is going to get an earful for not finding me first," Canary said as she hugged Caitlin goodbye. "My archer especially must know he won't hear the end of it."

Cisco, Caitlin, and Sara exchanged glances. "Don't be too hard on him," Caitlin said. "He doesn't have a Cisco Ramon."

"True," Canary said with a wink, "but I may wait to tell him that part." She turned to Cisco.

"Take this with you," he said, taking Felicity's pager out of his pocket, accidentally pressing a couple buttons as he handed it to Canary. "It can contact our Earth. You can call us if you need us. And I can probably find it with a vibe."

"Thanks Cisco," she said hugging him. "It's always good to meet new Leagues in the multiverse."

"Is nobody going to explain this league thing?" Cisco asked her.

"It's just an idea. You might figure it out someday." She headed over to join the rest of the canaries and waved to them all one last time. "Take care of your birds," Canary called out. Green Canary picked the group up and they were all gone. The portal closed.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Feel free to ask me about my Canaries. I have thought about them a lot.


	10. Chapter 10

Supergirl promised them one more time that Birdbrain would be found and she gratefully accepted the data on breach closure that Cisco was able to write down for her. Then she said goodbye too and flew off.

Cisco looked around at their group. Everyone was making the last preparations needed to get going. Except for Dinah who was nowhere in sight. Cisco turned in a full circle to try to spot her, worried and disappointed. After all they had been through he couldn't say that he had expected this but he also couldn't blame her for running when she got the chance. And he couldn't ask the group to go looking for her after the day they'd had, especially if she had made it through the portal with the other canaries. He could maybe call Supergirl back to warn her about who else might be loose in her world?

"Hey Cisco! Think fast!" he heard from the rubble. Years of living with Dante had trained him to flinch and dodge automatically at those words. A rock sailed past him within a couple feet of where he had been standing.

"Why," he asked Dinah dryly as she emerged from behind a small, still-standing section of wall. Could he still say he was happy to see her after she threw a rock at him?

"Souvenir," she told him, answering his glare with a smirk. "So you can -" she wiggled her fingers at him like a magician, "- zap yourself back here if you want to." He continued to glare at her but he also picked up the rock. It was a surprisingly good and thoughtful idea even if the delivery was a bit...not.

\---

The shuttle was cramped with the two extra people and Kendra's wings added but they managed to find a comfortable arrangement. And they didn't have to suffer for long. Cisco's portal dropped them right into the Star Labs hanger. Barry was there waiting for them, rolling around the open space on an office chair. He sped it out of the way as the ship came in for a landing. Kendra, Sara, and Nyssa got off first and Barry hugged all three tight (to Nyssa's obvious surprise). Mick got a friendly handshake and Team Flash got their hugs too. Even Dinah got a curt nod before Barry activated the magnets on her cuffs. Cisco had all but forgotten about the bracelets but Dinah had come out of the ship with her wrists already together out in front of her.

"The van's outside," Barry told them all. "I'll take Black Siren and, uh, meet you back there." The others headed for the door but Cisco and Caitlin paused and squinted at Barry suspiciously. He was acting shifty and he couldn't hide it from them. Barry didn't help his own case when he fidgeted under their gaze. "Felicity has questions," he said and before Cisco could ask what that meant Barry had sped off with Black Siren.

\---

Cisco trailed behind the others as they walked through Star Labs, hoping to delay the mysterious confrontation with Felicity. He should have paid more attention though because Felicity had clearly been taking ninja lessons from some of their friends. She emerged unexpectedly out of a dark side corridor and cornered Cisco up against a wall.

"You have some explaining to do, Ramon,"

"I...I don't -," he started but she held up a threatening finger to stop him.

"Dinah?!" she said in that strangled whisper-shout of hers. "Who's Dinah, Cisco?"

He was shocked. "Did Barry tell you?"

"I'm sorry, Curtis obviously didn't have a label maker big enough for you to see which button said 'mute'. We could hear everything. Who is she Cisco? The mysterious fifth team member that you told me I wouldn't want to know about? That you promised it was better I didn't know? The one who was probably a doppelganger that I wouldn't want to meet so it must have been Oliver or Dig or me? Or literally anyone else? Zoom was defeated months ago and you guys kept something like this from us? She was all but family Cisco!"

"Felicity," Sara said calmly from behind her.

"Sara!" Felicity said, pausing in her scolding to turn and hug her friend. "I am so glad you are okay." Cisco stayed frozen against the wall. He had never realized that babbling combined with a scolding could be so terrifying.

"Felicity, it's not her. That's why they didn't tell us," Sara said. Cisco appreciated the support considering how mad she had been herself.

"I know," Felicity replied, calming down. Then she turned to Cisco with the threatening finger again. "But you aren't off the hook Ramon."

He nodded weakly. "Understood. And we are sorry."

"Good. Now tell me everything." She turned with Sara off to the main lab, letting Cisco follow on his own.

\---

They told the full story when Barry arrived back in the lab. Afterwards there were questions about the different canaries and the speedster they met and general geeking out. Barry had concerns about Birdbrain getting away but he agreed with Cisco that if anyone could get them it would be Supergirl. He also interrogated them all about the speedster, though they couldn't tell him much.

The Waverider hadn't yet returned from Ancient Greece so Sara and Mick would be sticking around for a bit. Nyssa apparently had a safe house in the city so her and Sara went there and Mick went to wherever Mick went when he was home. Caitlin offered Kendra a place to stay since she had to wait for her wing to heal before she could fly home like she planned. Thankfully, she told them, it would heal faster then normal broken bones. Felicity had been staying with Iris so she was set too. Everyone went home and got some well deserved rest, safe and home.


	11. Chapter 11

Dinah didn't really mind being back in the Pipeline. She was fed well, she still had the perks she had wheedled out of Cisco, and she was being held for a crime she had happily committed instead of for simply being a songbird.

What she did mind was that it had been a few days since their return and Cisco hadn't come to see her. It's not like she missed him or anything, or needed his company, but they did have a game of world domination that she wanted to finish winning. She understood needing some time to rest but still, he hadn't come. She barely even got to see the Flash when he delivered the meals. She was starting to wonder if she would have to do something drastic when her cell was finally brought to the Pipeline doors. But, when the door started to open, the feet that appeared were still not the expected sneakers.

"What do you want, little sister?" Dinah asked with a sigh when the door had opened all the way. She leaned against the back of her cell examining her nails.

"Funny you should ask that," Sara answered. "I had the same question for you. Why did you come to help me?"

Dinah wasn't sure what answer Sara might be looking for with that question. She kept her face neutral and shrugged. "I was bored. I saw an opportunity to stretch my legs and maybe escape."

"You had a few chances to escape," Sara pointed out.

"And be stuck in a world with that insane bird keeper? No thank you."

"What happened to your Sara?" Sara asked.

Dinah quirked an eyebrow at the abrupt change of subject. (It was such a Laurel look that it hit Sara like a blow.) "I wouldn't know," Dinah said finally. "I left with mom. She stayed with dad. We didn't keep in touch."

"She's a beat cop in the Glades."

Dinah gaped a moment in shock. Both at the information and Sara's knowledge of it. She figured out the latter though, "Cisco vibed her for you?"

Sara didn't confirm or deny, she just continued. "She's looking for you. Tracking you. And she's got a pretty impressive stalker-board too. She thinks she can save you."

"A naive beat cop in the Glades? How is she still alive?" Dinah paused, "are you trying to save me too?" she asked contemptuously. She wasn't going on the boring straight-and-narrow just because her baby sister gave her puppy dog eyes. If that's why Sara was here she was going to be disappointed.

Sara took a deep breath before answering. "My sister can't be saved. Yours can."

Dinah quirked an eyebrow again, having lost track of this conversation.

"You said it yourself. She is bound to get herself killed," Sara explained. "Especially if she makes a habit of asking questions about Zoom's ex-right hand if what Barry told me about your world is true."

Dinah narrowed her eyes. "She's clearly naive, yeah, but she can't be that stupid."

"I once poisoned myself so that I could break up with my girlfriend and quit my job. Trust me. She can."

Dinah scrutinized Sara's face but couldn't find any hint that she was lying. "Shit."

"Yeah."

"Why are you telling me this, what can I do?"

Sara seemed to have been waiting for that question. She reached over and hit a button and Dinah's cell door opened. Sara gestured for Dinah to walk out past her. They left the Pipeline and walked down the hallway, Sara directing her from behind until they reached a large room. It had a raised platform with computers on desks facing a large contraption that looked like a stage on the other side of the room. Cisco was fiddling with some electronics on the stage and the Flash stood off to the side with his arms crossed and a frown on his face.

"Dinah!" Cisco called out when he noticed her. "Ready to go home?"

Dinah turned to Sara in confusion, and had to grab the other woman's arm because she had moved to leave. "Why?" Dinah asked.

Sara met her eyes, something she had been avoiding since they met. "Call it self interest." Dinah scoffed at that and kept her hand on Sara's arm, silently demanding the real reason. Sara sighed. "Canaries don't belong in cages and the Lance sisters are better together. You won't be able to fix each other but it will be good for you both to try. Trust me."

Dinah let her arm go. "I'm not a Canary."

"And your sister might arrest you the moment she sees you." Sara gave a jaunty wave as she headed out the door. "We're a brat."

Dinah couldn't help but smile at that as she turned and swaggered down the stairs. "You're really letting me go?" she asked the boys skeptically.

Cisco paused in his work and gave her an exasperated look. "Do you really think I would go to this much effort for a practical joke?"

"I'm against it," Flash offered. "But your Dr. Wells has figured out a way of keeping tabs on you and Earth-2 has a new speedster. This is parole, not freedom."

Dinah gave him her most sarcastic eye-roll and moved to stand in front of the stage and Cisco, crossing her arms. "We never finished our game."

"I surrender the world to you," Cisco said, glancing up from his work again. She pouted at him and it was his turn to roll his eyes, though he did it with a smile. "Or we can play the next time I visit you in prison."

"I'll pencil you in," Dinah promised.

Cisco flicked a couple of switches and came down from the stage. "Try to delay it if you can. Like Sara said, Canaries don't belong in cages." She didn't bother correcting him for calling her a Canary. Cisco opened the portal and stepped back. Flash came up next to her and Dinah waved goodbye to Cisco as Flash launched them into the breach.

Soon she was set back on her own feet and Flash had whooshed off. The portal closed. She found herself standing in a puddle in a dreary looking alley with a decent view of a vaguely familiar skyline. After all these years she was back in Starling City. She shook the water off her boots (thanks Flash) and headed out of the alley to figure out where in the city she was. It was time for a family reunion.


	12. P.S.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Another double post today so make sure you caught Chapter 11 before reading. Thanks for the responses to this story folks. I hope y'all like the ending.
> 
> I can't say if I'll ever have any more fics but if ya ever want to chat about this one some more (or anything else) you can find me on tumblr as Acernusaurus.

Cisco came into the lab one morning to find a light blinking on his Verse-phone, what they had taken to calling the finished dimensional receiver that Curtis had given them. Specifically it was the light for the answering machine Cisco had installed onto the receiver in order to take any 'long distance' calls while no one was around the lab. Barry hadn't managed to pass out Curtis's finished pager design to all of their distant friends yet but he was working on it. And they still had a few people who still needed to call to test them out. Cisco set down his tablet and pressed play.

"Hi? Hello. Is this working? I am calling for a Mr. Cisco Ramon," an unfamiliar man's voice said. Or rather, a vaguely familiar but altogether too cheerful voice. "I wanted to contact you to thank you for rescuing my wife, the Black Canary. She has told me so much about you and I am eternally grateful for your help in getting her back to me safely. And - Yes dear - and I wanted to offer a favor in return. I have been gotten permission from Bats to promise you-"

"They might not - ... - Batman..." Cisco heard another, more familiar woman's voice add. Batman?

"Not have a Batman? Brooding fellow? Likes to hang out on rooftops? Well, if you don't have one he is sort-of our leader. Mostly. I mean, we're usually a democracy but he makes a lot of the decisions. Anyway, he has given special permission for us to offer you and your team a favor from the Justice League should you ever need it. No questions asked...Okay yes dear, some questions asked but no...few limits. Simply call on us and a League team will be there as soon as we can. And again, truly, thank you."

The call ended. Cisco gaped at the answering machine for a moment. Then he turned to get his phone. Everyone else needed to hear this.


	13. Art

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry this isn't an actual new chapter. Writing!Art is an occasional thing for me but Art!Art is very common. I'll be dropping things in here if I make anything related to Jail Birds.

3/30: This one is a bit of a test.  
  
That's all the live-action canaries (according to wikipedia). Spiderverse was a heavy influence, hence Canaryverse.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Art, like writing, is tricky to predict so I will be putting these on the acernusaurus tumblr as well when I've made something new. I won't be adding more chapters here.

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks for reading Friends!


End file.
